Image: ZDNet

Microsoft just released its Windows 10 May 2020 Update, aka Windows 10 2004, but the company is already doling out details on its next major Windows 10 update slated for the second half of the year.

In a blog post published on Tuesday, Microsoft revealed two tidbits of information. The next Windows 10 update will integrate the newest Chromium flavor of its Edge browser. Plus, this next update will start a new naming scheme that promises to be simpler than the current one.

SEE: Cheat sheet: Windows 10 PowerToys (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Facing lackluster interest in its initial version Edge released in 2015, Microsoft realized it need to rethink and retool the browser. That led to a new version of Edge based on Chromium, the same open source platform that underlies Google Chrome. Since launching this new flavor of Edge in January 2020 for all versions of Windows as well as for macOS, Microsoft has seen the market share for its default browser edge past Firefox to claim second place in the browser wars.

For now, Edge is available only through the Windows Update or as a manual download from the Edge website. Integrating it directly into Windows 10 will certainly expand the user base. Of course, Edge will never catch up to Google Chrome, which has almost a 70% slice of the browser market. But hanging onto second place is the next best thing.

Next, Microsoft Windows 10 Updates have always used an awkward naming convention. Some refer to them by their long title, e.g., Windows 10 May 2020 Update, which is descriptive but clumsy. Others call them by their version number, e.g, Windows 10 2004, which is simpler but doesn’t mean anything to most people.

Starting with the next update, Microsoft will name them based on the release date, specifically the half of the year. That means the next update will be dubbed Windows 10, version 20H2. Still a bit unwieldy, but definitely descriptive.


Image: Microsoft

Most users will have to wait for the second half of the year to check out Windows 10, version 20H2. But Windows Insiders, who get to try new versions ahead of time, can now download the version 20H2 Build 19042.330 via the Beta Channel (Slow ring). Of course, given the bugs and glitches that pop up in each new update, insiders will want to be sure to install this beta version on a test machine or non-production virtual environment.